Improvement in potato-diggess



G. W. KINTZ.

` Potato Digger. Y

VPalfenfed March 31, 1868.

Witnesses:

@other tstrs @sind @ifica- 'Leners patent Navcoo, dared' March e1, isos.

IMPROVEMENT POTATO-DIGGEBS,

i dlp rlgrhlr referer te in ities- Enters ndert anhmaliingrntt rf unsure.

'ro AL'L WHOM ir MAY concerns:

.Be it known th'atI, GEORGE W. KINTZ, of West Henrietta, in the county of Monroe, and State of New Yor-k, have-inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in 1Machines for Digging Potatoes.; and I do hereby declare' that the following vis'a'fnll and exact description thereof, reference being madelto-theaccompanying drawings, making part of. this specification.4

Figure 1 is a. side elevation-of my improved machine arrangedvas a digger.

Figure 2, a .planv ofthe same. l I Like letters of reference' indicate corresponding parts inboth figures. i I obtained a patent for potato-digger, dated June 25, 1867. Some features in my present invention resemble those embodied in that machine, but the presentimprovement 1s intended to avoid diilicnlties and be moreleffeetive in operation. In the drawings, A indicates the skeleton-beam, which is preferably made in a single' piece, having the angle, a,'tu'rned down for the attachment of the operating parts. With the front end of thisbeani' is connected a truck-frame, B, by means of a cleft standard, b, having a'gseries of holes and a pin, which allow these-id beam to be adjusted higher or lower at pleasure.- `Braces`, c e, eitendfrom axle h to theside of the b eam,.for` staying and strengthening' the same. i The front end of' the beam has aclevis, d, attached, as shown, and in this olevis is made a series of adjustingholes, in any of which tits a hook, e. By thisy mean's'the cut'of the digger may be varied at pleasure, by simply shifting the position el" the hook; This hook is swivelled toturn'to any desired position. The handles C C are similar to those ordinarily usc-d. They are held by stay-s, at the tcp, which connect with'the beam; and also by slats, gg,`so attached t the sides asto allow affree passage. The rear of the handlesalsoccnnects with bars, iz', having holes for the adjnstmentA of said handles; f At the bottom these bars arel bent, and connect with the axle k of a. wheel, D, said axle also being adjusted forward or back by means of holes in .the hars. The wheel' D lessens the draught, and also`ser`ves other useful purposes. The

edges of the rim of thewheel, on bothsides,y are provided with cams, l, as shown, saidcams being reversed in position ori-opposite sides The cams, during'- the revolutions of the wheel, lstrike upon lever-arm`s m m of shakers E E, situated onopposite sides o f the machine, whereby a vibrating aetionis imparted to said shakers =for sifting out the dirt from the potatoes. These shakers vare so hinged s to allow this vibrating motion. The

shakers are each provided with longitudinal open rodsor teeth,'vo o,'of suitable lc ngtb,'whieh are fastened in front to bars p, and rcstzin `'the centre in'cross-bar p. At the rear, theseteeth incline upward as they extend backward, as shownat o', somewhat in the formof the fingers of a. grain-cradle. The object of this is to-raise Athe potatoes .from the dirt as they pass'ver the shakers, and thus free them,"as far as possible,'from all extraneous matter.

ln thcfeross-bars yf'paiso rest spiral revolving tines or drags g1g, vwhich follow behind the teeth 0,0', and, by their screw action, removeisuch dirt as isle'ft clinging to the potatoes. They are also eilective in breaking' the hanging roots frm the It'nbers, and also in clearing the' shakers from' the straggling vines which might' otherwise become `an impediment.

To `the bottom of the skeleton-beamis attached u. fiat double-.winged share or point, G, so formed, arranged, and situated as to run n nder the surface of the ground and raise it, without greatly disturbing the same, in

vwhich-condition the soil containing the potatoes passes np over the shakers to'be separated, as before described.

The central front portioneof this point or share hase. vertical divider or cutter, i', which runs through the centre ot' the row and divides the hills in the proper manner, so that one-half passes over one shaker and one-half over the other, Were it not for this divider, thevhills would notbe well separated, and could not ibedivided till reached the vertical pa-rt ofthe beam itself, which case they would not Yslide lip easily over the-shakers,A but would be thrown vto one side. On each extremity of theshare or pointis also attached a wing, a, set at such an angle and in such a position as to hold thesoil inward as it is raised upward by' the shares andthus direct it upon th shakers. These wings areof much importance-in preventing the throwing ed' of the .potatoes by the sides'oft e plough#A On the back of the axle h, and one` side the` centre, is jointed at javiDe-pulIer,v E, armed with forwardprojecting teeth, tt, which take hold-of the vinesr v"The loose end'qf the puller is connected by e chain or cord, u, with the axle, 'and limits its' back motion. -A rod, VI is also jointed to the puller, with its frontend passing loosely through an eye .ofthe-axle, and bent into nf hook, oreqni/alent form, to prevent withdrawal, while the rear encl extends back over the handles within reueh Vof the operator, and is preferably formed into n hook-end to ret-ain it in place.

Inmy patent before referred to, I employedv a puller in the forni of a fork, turning in a vert-ical plone. This-present Llevie'e is an improvement upon that,v` and is intended more particularly for p'nlling 'andv throwing oi the vines. To this end it will he noticed that thepuilezf does not work backend Forwardin :NertienlA pinne, but the'swin-ging end is simply pnshed forward anlbnek bythe handle I sliding` in the eyeattnehed" to theaxle. The'nngnlar position of the puller hns n naturaL tendency ton-ori: the vines o', and when ,it becomes clogged or illefl, the sndden pushing of the handle dutwalrd' will throw of-Ath'e'vifies 'in n heap withhnt little 'eil`ort. This islfar more'eieetual than simpl)r a i'ertienlswinging incitement-oi' the pnller, vas in my first euse. A set of ettachments,j, jmny be employed for adjusting 'the puller toililerent portions of the axle.

The douhleshere or point Gr is'intendell for use in heavy soil.' i In 'very ligh'tfsoil,r I prefer to employ in its place a single share or 'poil-1t,A G', which is 'bolted to the' point of the plongh-beam after the double point has been removed.

What I claim asniy'in'vention, `amd'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. .The combination and arrangement of the revolving spiral-tines q g and the angular teeth a o" with the vibrating shaker E, operating in the manner ana forthe'purpos'e herein`set forth.

2. The aingulnr vine-puller H, jointed etonee'ndfemployecl in combination with the rod I, hatingr a, free end mo'voment,.to discharge the vines, and wstny-chain, u, which limits the back motion, the whole arrungefl and operatin'fcl,F in the mnner and furthe purpose hereinj set forth. v

3. The constuetiion and; nrrungement offthe machine n Whole, censisting of the wheel D with c ams ZZ, i

tine-puller' I-I vwith rod'I and ehnin u, shakers E VE with arms m, share G with dividei r andwings s s, truck frame B with ndjustzible Vstelndard b, vand the skeleton-beam Arthe whole operating as described. f

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed m'y nome in the'presence of two subscribing witnesses. 

